How Brain Trauma Can Harm Physical, Mental, and Behavioral Health

Thrive • September 16, 2022

By Thrive Wellness Waco Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Marguerite “Peggy” Addison, APRN, PMHNP-BC 

From heading a soccer ball too forcefully to experiencing a motor vehicle accident, occurrences that can induce head trauma can range from seemingly harmless to violent and dangerous. Even if a head injury seems mild, brain damage can still occur. If repetitive or severe, brain injuries can lead to serious mental, behavioral, and physical health consequences. 

DEFINING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES (TBIs) AND CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY (CTE)

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) describes damage to the brain from an impact or object. TBIs can be caused by:

  • Accidentally hitting one’s head, such as on a cabinet, window, or door frame
  • Assaults and domestic violence 
  • Blows to the head 
  • Falls
  • Motor vehicle accidents
  • Shaking 
  • Sports injuries 

About 1.7 million people in the United States suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year, and 64,000 Americans die from a TBI annually. Many individuals recover from TBIs, but many also suffer prolonged physical, mental, and behavioral health repercussions that can be debilitating. 

Of those who have suffered repeated mild TBIs, at least 17% result in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a degenerative brain disease that often appears years after experiencing repetitive head trauma.

When the brain sustains trauma the following medical complications can occur:

  • Axonal shearing: Torn or stretched nerve axons, which are fibers that extend from neurons in the brain and help with sensory perception and movement. 
  • Bruising: Bleeding and swelling in the brain near the injury.  
  • Focal damage: A localized injury to the brain that can lead to inflammation which can cut off oxygen to neurons and cause them to die.
  • Hematomas: Clotted blood that can form in the brain due to broken blood vessels.

THE IMPACT OF BRAIN TRAUMA ON PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 

Brain injuries ranging from mild to severe can cause acute and long-term physical, mental, and behavioral health concerns, such as:

  • Anxiety
  • Changes in sleep and energy levels
  • Decline in ability to read social cues
  • Decreased executive functioning, which comprises mental skills such as memory, flexible thinking, and self-control
  • Depression
  • Impaired concentration
  • Unstable mood, or rapid, exaggerated shifts in emotion
  • Memory issues, both acute and long-term
  • Personality changes, such as displaying more anger than usual
  • Struggle to maintain relationships
  • Unusual and impulsive behavior

In my own experience treating clients with brain trauma, I’ve encountered:

  • A father who suffered irreversible brain damage from a motorcycle accident and was unable to consider any thoughts other than simple concerns such as the next snack he’d eat. 
  • Individuals who sustained brain damage from sports, such as water skiing and football. These clients spent months in residential treatment stabilizing their mood and rehabilitating their cognitive functioning. 
  • Clients who used drugs and alcoho l to cope with their TBIs and associated mood dysregulation.
  • Individuals who changed their occupation because they were no longer able to perform their job duties due to decreased executive-functioning. 

SUPPORT FOR BRAIN TRAUMA CONCERNS

For anyone struggling with residual mental, behavioral, and physical health after experiencing a head injury, professional support can help a person regain as much as possible of their pre-injury level of functioning. Types of help available include:

  • Counseling: Trained therapists can help clients develop skills for coping with the distress of an injury, helping them leverage their strengths and work around any deficits.  
  • Psychiatric care: Psychiatrists can prescribe medications to assist with mood regulation, promote cognition, and diminish impulsivity. They may also integrate cognitive enhancing therapies to slow cognitive decline.
  • Occupational therapy: Occupational therapists can use a variety of strategies to help a person carry out daily activities that a brain injury may be interfering with. 
  • Medical care: Physicians can help monitor the brain injury and promote healing while providing medical guidance.

Lastly, it’s not always possible to avoid sustaining head injuries, but there are ways to reduce one’s likelihood of experiencing a TBI, such as wearing seatbelts and helmets as well as taking measures to avoid falls and motor vehicle accidents. 

INTERDISCIPLINARY HEALTH CARE AT THRIVE WELLNESS

At Thrive Wellness, we strive to treat our clients’ physical, mental, and behavioral health care concerns synergistically. Because most health care struggles have consequences that extend to many facets of health, including brain injuries, our interdisciplinary clinicians collaborate to provide specialized, comprehensive care so that individuals can ultimately achieve whole-self health — or wellness that permeates their mind, body, and spirit. Reach out to learn more.

While all Thrive Wellness locations offer interdisciplinary clinical teams who collaborate to treat eating disorders, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), and additional mental and behavioral health conditions, programs and services may vary by location.

About the Author

Thrive Wellness Waco Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Marguerite “Peggy” Addison, APRN, PMHNP-BC

Peggy is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Family Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, MSN, and is Board Certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center to treat all ages.

She received her RN from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana and her Masters in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing from The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) where she received multiple clinical excellence awards, was a member of Sigma Theta Tau Honorary Society, and was named a “University Scholar”.

Peggy has 14 years of experience as a PMH-NP treating multiple diagnoses, specializing in anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, with a special interest in perinatal psychiatry and eating disorders. Prior to becoming an NP, she had 16 years of in-patient psychiatric experience as an RN working in adolescent and adult psychiatry, alcohol, and addiction units, including six and a half years as head nurse on the psychiatric intensive care unit at The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

She is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, Texas Nurses Association, Texas Nurse Practitioners of North Texas, Texas Nurse Practitioners, Postpartum Support International, International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals, and the Neuroscience Education Institute.

Peggy has been a preceptor/ graduate clinical instructor for UTA since 2009 and formerly an undergraduate clinical instructor for Texas Woman’s University from 2009-2011.

Peggy works collaboratively to diagnose and treat mental health disorders and emphasizes a comprehensive approach of healthy lifestyle changes along with therapy to reach optimal functioning.

When not working she enjoys time with family, travel, reading, needlework, and water activities.

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By Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, CPC, LPC-S, CEDS-C December 18, 2025
Sometimes, people need more support, structure, and monitoring than the typical outpatient setting can provide. When this happens, the treatment team will usually recommend that someone be "stepped up" to a different level of care, or program, that can better meet their needs. I like to think of it as being similar to medication dosages; people need different strengths of medications, or dosages, to get better when they're sick. Stepping someone up to a higher level of care is like increasing the dosage of a medication to match the severity of their symptoms. How Are Higher Levels of Care Different from Standard Outpatient Care? At the core of differentiating higher levels of care from standard outpatient care is the intensity and structure of the treatment. Higher level of care programs tend to offer more days of treatment each week and more hours of treatment per day than in the outpatient setting. Those in higher level of care programs may also meet with their treatment team members more frequently each week. There are more staff present to support someone at or after meals and snacks, or to help those who are having urges to engage in compulsions or other harmful behaviors. Clients in our HLOC programs get access to an assortment of treatment modalities tailored to their individual needs, including personalized therapy sessions, group support, medication management, medical nutrition therapy with a dietitian, and check-ins with our primary care providers. We support clients with personalized treatment plans and regular assessments to monitor and tweak interventions as needed. Higher levels of care also offer increased peer interaction and support. Intensive programs incorporate additional group therapy sessions, which can help those in treatment feel less alone as well as create a greater sense of community. For some people, it can be difficult to devote the time and energy needed to recover while also balancing other responsibilities like school or work. Stepping up to more intensive levels of care allows people to fully dedicate themselves to recovery. As they get better and make progress, a person may be stepped back down to a less intensive level of care to start practicing their recovery in their usual home, school, or work settings while also receiving professional support from their treatment team. What Levels of Care are Available? At Thrive Wellness, we offer four different levels of care to help clients step up (or down) in their treatment when needed: -  Outpatient Treatment - weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings with a therapist, psychiatrist, primary care provider, and/or dietitian. - Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) - A minimum of three hours per day, three days per week. - Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) - A minimum of six hours per day, five days per week. - Residential Treatment - Coming soon in 2026, The Greenhouse at Thrive will offer residential treatment for eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This level of care offers 24-hour support for those aged 12-24 living in our residential treatment center. How To Decide Which Level of Care is Right for You If you're unsure which option is right for you or your loved one, we offer a free assessment that can be completed with our admissions team. In this initial assessment, we'll gather information from you about what you're struggling with, speak with our team of providers, and then make a recommendation for what level of care we feel is the best fit for you and your needs. If you’re experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder, anxiety disorder, or other behavioral or mental health challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out. To get started with our intake process, give us a call at 775-525-8103 or fill out this form . We can’t wait to help you Thrive.
December 2, 2025
Like the fir tree, a symbol of endurance rooted in hope, our Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR) approach reflects the strength that grows when families face challenges together. At our new residential center “The Greenhouse”, FIR is more than a treatment model, it’s a philosophy of healing that places families at the heart of recovery for adolescents and young adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We believe lasting healing doesn’t happen in isolation; it’s built with the support of families through perseverance, hope, and compassionate care. What Is Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR)? Family Intensive Recovery (FIR) is a specialized and immersive approach that actively engages caregivers as central agents in their child’s healing process. Rather than seeing families as contributors to a problem, we view them as essential partners in recovery. Drawing from two evidence-based frameworks, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) and Family-Based Treatment (FBT), FIR helps families cultivate resilience, confidence, and connection throughout the journey to recovery. Grounded in SPACE and FBT Through the SPACE model, parents learn how to recognize and reduce well-intentioned but unhelpful behaviors known as accommodations that can reinforce anxiety and OCD symptoms. By shifting from rescuing to supporting and challenging, parents develop the confidence to guide their child through discomfort, helping them build distress tolerance and self-trust. Simultaneously, Family-Based Treatment (FBT) empowers families to take an active, compassionate role in their child’s nutritional and emotional recovery. Parents learn how to support weight and nutritional restoration, disrupt the eating disorder’s patterns, and reestablish boundaries that promote health and growing autonomy. Together, these approaches strengthen both the individual and family system, allowing recovery to take root within an environment of empathy and optimism. From Blame to Collaboration A cornerstone of the FIR model is removing blame. At Thrive, parents are not viewed as the cause of their child’s struggles, but rather as key partners in recovery. Treatment focuses on joining forces to create a safe, supportive environment where: Families learn to sit with their child's discomfort alongside them without rushing to fix or control it. Parents practice compassionate firmness, setting boundaries grounded in care and safety. Teens and caregivers rebuild trust through open, honest communication. This collaborative framework helps families reestablish a sense of connection and confidence, fostering long-term resilience and open communication that extends beyond the treatment setting. Why Family Matters in Recovery Recovery from eating disorders, OCD, or anxiety isn’t a one-person job, it requires integrated care including the family. When families learn to navigate challenges together, they can model emotional regulation, reinforce healthy boundaries, and create conditions for sustained recovery. Through FIR, we aim to strengthen attachment bonds, reshape family interactions, and empower every member of the family to grow. The result is not only symptom reduction but also a deeper sense of unity, hope, and shared endurance, just like the steadfast fir tree that stands resilient through every season. Moving Toward Hope Family Inclusive Recovery invites caregivers and loved ones to become active participants in change. It’s a journey of learning, letting go, and leaning into love and acceptance. Together, families and clinicians can cultivate the courage in clients to face uncertainty, and in doing so, help them discover that recovery is not just possible, but enduring. If you’d like to learn more about Family Intensive Recovery at The Greenhouse or how we support families in eating disorder and OCD treatment, reach out to our team today.
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The Greenhouse at Thrive Wellness A New Chapter of Hope and Healing in Nevada On Friday, November 14 , we gathered with our partners at Molina Healthcare to share an important moment for our community. Together, we celebrated Molina’s generous $50,000 grant , an investment that is helping bring The Greenhouse to life. Their support is not only a financial contribution—it’s a statement of belief in the young people and families of Nevada who deserve access to compassionate, evidence-based mental healthcare close to home. This gathering marked the beginning of something we’ve dreamed about for years: a place designed specifically for adolescents and emerging adults to receive the care, connection, and support they need during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Something New Is Growing In early 2026 , Thrive Wellness will open The Greenhouse , Nevada’s first residential treatment center devoted to adolescents and emerging adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety, and OCD . For too long, families have faced a heartbreaking dilemma—send their child far from home for treatment or go without the specialized care they need. The Greenhouse is our answer to that gap. It will be a place where young people can settle into an environment built for healing, where they are understood, supported, and surrounded by a team that believes in their capacity to recover. The Greenhouse represents a natural extension of our mission. It’s a living expression of our belief that recovery is possible—and that with the right support, families can find their footing again. 
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